Our Joint Letter to the PM.
Today, the 5th of May, the Renters’ Reform Coalition Members delivered a joint letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. You can read the original here.
Dear Prime Minister
We are writing to urge you to keep your promise to bring forward the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday 10 May 2022.
In April 2019, the government announced a commitment to end Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, pledging that “private landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants from their homes at short notice and without good reason”. This change is keenly anticipated by private renters, who have watched the government recommit to a Renters’ Reform Bill at the Queen’s Speech in December 2019 and in 2021.
Three years on from this government’s first commitment, private renters up and down the country are relying on you to fulfil your promise of a Renters’ Reform Bill and make 2022 the year unfair evictions end for good.
With the rising cost of living, additional pressure is being placed on renters of all ages and backgrounds. Rapidly rising rents are squeezing household budgets and pushing ordinary people further from the dream of home ownership.
The end of Coronavirus Act protections means that, until section 21 is repealed, renting families live in fear that requests for repairs could be met with an eviction that uproots their lives and adds further financial strain.
As outlined in the Levelling Up White Paper, the private rented sector has almost doubled in size in the past decade. Yet, one in eight privately rented homes in England pose a threat to tenants’ health, and the National Audit Office recently found that reforms to date have not been effective in ‘ensuring the sector is consistently fair for renters’. The Renters’ Reform Bill is a golden opportunity to fix these issues, essential to levelling up prosperity across the country.
This is why reforming private renting is a critical component of the government’s domestic policy agenda. Renters across England are crying out for an end to unfair evictions and expect to see this reflected in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May.
Our organisations, and our supporters, stand alongside private renters in calling for the government to keep its promise to deliver the Renters’ Reform Bill.
Sue James, Chair, Renters’ Reform Coalition
Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Shelter
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice
Kiran Ramchandani, Director of Policy and External Affairs, Crisis
Joe Cole, Chief Executive, Advice 4 Renters
Paul Kissack, Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
John McMillan, Chair, Camden Federation of Private Tenants
Alicia Kennedy, Director, Generation Rent
Michael Deas, Coordinator, London Renters Union
Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive, New Economics Foundation
Rohan Kon, Chair, ACORN the Union
Julie Bishop, Director, Law Centres Network
Portia Msimang, Coordinator, Renters Rights London
Ben Clay, Lead Organiser, Greater Manchester Tenants’ Union
Ben Reeve-Lewis, Strategic Case Manager, Safer Renting
Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, NUS VP Higher Education, National Union of Students
Anela Anwar, Chief Executive, Z2K
Leigh Pearce, Chief Executive, Nationwide Foundation
Jim Minton, Chief Executive, Toynbee Hall
Anya Martin, Director, PricedOut
Dr Phil James, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Renters’ Reform Coalition Partners
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK
Lord John Bird, Founder, Big Issue
Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs, Step Change
Zoe Gardner, Policy and Advocacy Manager, JCWI
Brian Robson, Executive Director, Northern Housing Consortium
Jo Bibby, Health Director, Health Foundation
John Palmer, Director of Policy and Communications, Independent Age
Dominic Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive, Cats Protection
Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director, Dogs Trust
Judith Banjoko, Interim Chief Executive, Solace Women’s Aid
Sarah Longlands, Chief Executive, CLES
Tim Sigsworth, Chief Executive, akt
Joanna Leighton, Chair, Tenants’ Association of the National Trust